


Of Devils and Bassinets

by fell_on_black_days



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-01-13 14:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18470692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fell_on_black_days/pseuds/fell_on_black_days
Summary: An AU where Vergil doesn't raise Temen-Ni-Gru and sticks around for Nero and his mom instead.





	1. Sleep Deprivation

Vergil woke up to his son’s wailing cries and turned to look at the clock on his nightstand. It read 3:00 AM as he glared at its bright red numbering. He sighed and tossed the blankets off of his legs before standing and walking over to the crib kept in the corner of his small apartment bedroom. He reached down to cradle his child as he checked his diaper, which was miraculously clean. He hoped that Nero was just hungry and not having one of his seemingly random fits.

Vergil kept his son close to his chest as he stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle to reheat. The boy had slowly transitioned to hiccuping as he grew tired from crying. While only three months old, Nero had a strong set of lungs and had started to show signs of his father’s trademark stubbornness when he didn’t get his way. Vergil had read somewhere that the first few months were the hardest. He hoped the author had been right. 

What the author hadn’t prepared him for was going it alone. He looked down to the gold band on his left hand as Nero sucked down his formula and desperately wished that Helen was still there. His mind started to take a dark turn as he thought about his recently deceased wife. She’d barely gotten the chance to know her son when she’d passed and no amount of power that Vergil could gain would ever bring her back. 

He was saved from his spiral when he felt the bottle go slack against his hand and looked down to see Nero blink up at him. The baby reached up with his chubby fingers to grasp at the amulet Vergil wore around his neck. If anyone else had tried he would have slapped their hand away without a second thought, but the peace of the moment grounded him and the slow smile spreading across Nero’s face brought out a rare one of his own.

* * *

 

It was at a more reasonable hour that Vergil got out of bed for the final time that morning. One look at Nero’s crib told him that the babe was still asleep and prompted a quick shower and cup of tea. When he double checked and found the boy slowly waking he started Nero’s morning routine. A bottle, bath, and fresh diaper later he was trying to wriggle his son’s tiny legs into a onesie when he heard a knock at his door. 

His senses immediately picked up on a demonic presence outside and he nearly panicked as he put Nero down in his crib and reached for Yamato. He stalked towards the door as he strained his ears, trying to pick up on any clues as to what was on his doorstep threatening his son when he heard a familiar and unwelcome voice on the other side.

“I know you’re in there Verge. Open the door before I have to kick it in, huh?”

Vergil growled as he rested his thumb beneath Yamato’s blade guard and cautiously opened the door to see his twin outside. “What do you want Dante?”

“Good to see you too bro. Been a while,” his twin smirked. “Thought I come check up on ya since it’s been a few years.”

“You’ve checked. Now leave,” he growled as he tried to slam the door shut. Unfortunately for him Dante had seen his rejection coming and shoved his foot in the jam. 

His brother’s eyes flared as he pushed the rest of his way in and took on a more serious expression. “Come on Vergil. I just want to talk.”

“I would prefer you leave. Before I have to throw you out,” Vergil countered as he grit his teeth. “I have several appointments today that I would prefer not to miss.”

“More important than your baby brother?” Dante asked, his voice rising. Vergil was about to spit out another retort when he heard a sputtering cry from the bedroom and a fresh wave of panic hit.

His twin’s face went from semi-thunderous to shocked as he processed what he was hearing. “Verge, is there a baby in here?”

Before Dante could blink, Vergil had Yamato drawn and was pressing his twin back against the nearest wall. “Leave Dante. You’re not welcome here.”

“Like hell I will Vergil! You’ve got a kid back there! Where are its parents?” Dante rattled of a string of curses as he pushed Vergil away and reached for his own sword, a look of outrage on his face. “I figured you could do some fucked shit but this takes the cake. Now you’re kidnapping? The fuck are you tryin’ to do with that kid.” 

“What I do with my son is none of your damn business Dante. Now leave my home!” he shouted as he slashed down with his sword. Dante froze mid pary and received a kick to the chest that sent him sprawling out on the floor.

Rebellion clattered against the floor as Dante peered up at his brother, a look of bewilderment on his face. “What did you just say?”

“I said you’re not welcome here.”

“No, before that. That baby’s your -”

“He’s my son. Now get the hell out.”

The next thing he knew, Dante was sitting on his ass outside as Vergil slammed the door in his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vergil goes grocery shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your notes and likes! Here's chapter two. If you enjoy reading this I'd really appreciate a tip on my ko-fi. The link will be in the notes below.

Vergil polished Yamato as he reclined on his couch and watched Nero’s valiant attempts at wriggling about. Having had three months to grow, the baby was able to stretch and wriggle his arms and legs in pursuit of interesting objects without being in danger of actually getting anywhere. It was adorably pathetic to him, his son’s frustrated attempts to reach a toy. While most parents would say their baby’s behavior was cute or endearing, Vergil’s analytical mind focused on the next steps of Nero’s development. 

He was, without a doubt, protective and paternal with his son. But he was also proud of his tiny achievements. The way he had learned to raise his head or the first time he gripped the side of his bottle were cherished memories of time spent with him. The way his head had turned ever-so-slightly only moments after he was born to better hear the voices of his parents would always be stuck in Vergil’s mind as one of the most life-altering moments he had ever experienced. Even a cursory glance at the features his son and wife shared made him unbelievably proud to be a father, imperfect as he was. 

Sure, the months leading up to Nero’s birth had been filled with doubt, but the moment he had seen his son’s face, Vergil was smitten. Thoughts of power had faded to the background of his mind. The need to surpass his father seemed secondary to the duties he owed his son and the reverence he had given his wife during and after her pregnancy had chased away the gaping hole that orphanhood had left. Memories from before still stung, almost to the point of bleeding, but the crushing loneliness he had felt since age eight had abated.

Vergil broke out of his thoughts when he looked down to find Nero’s tiny face scrunched up in his pre-potty face. Sighing, he sheathed his sword and placed it on its rack before reaching down to scoop up his son. Thoughts of pride were put on the back burner as he descended into every parent’s least favorite plane of hell. The changing table.

* * *

 

 

Nearly an hour later Vergil found himself strapping on a papoose and double checking Yamato’s bindings at his hip. Nero had been thoroughly wrapped in his warmest onesie and booties for their trip to the grocery store that afternoon and, while it wasn’t exactly chilly outside, there was an idle threat of rain that spring.

The nature of Vergil’s work had changed drastically when he married Helen. His wife, then pregnant, had been extremely concerned for his safety and convinced him to abandon his thoughts of running around looking for his father’s legacy in favor of something more geographically stable. With his lack of work history, that was much easier said than done.

He’d searched and searched for weeks without so much as a second glance from potential employers before he’d landed on his current job. To date, he worked at a small bookshop and cafe in Fortuna’s tourist district. Most of the high selling items were overly sanitized history volumes and philosophical treatises written on the island, but the shop doubled as a location for locals to find more secular books normally not sold in the more religious shops. 

Classics like Byron, Shelley, and, most importantly, Blake were set next to softcore erotica and Harry Potter. The backroom of the shop served as their home, and Vergil served as its curator. In the months leading up to Nero’s birth he had sold more books to “upstanding” members of the order and their families than any of them cared to admit and amassed enough casual blackmail to keep them from pressuring either him or his wife to convert or move away. That had been before Helen had died. 

Now, he still worked at the store, but the order stayed away for a completely different reason. One that he would never forgive them for. One that would follow him to his grave in a whitehot bolt of grief and rage. On one hand, he wanted to take his son far from this place to somewhere safe from the zealots within. On the other, he couldn’t bear to leave his wife’s grave and childhood home. Today he settled for spending time and money in the tourist sector.

With Nero strapped securely to his chest and his apartment door locked behind him, Vergil stepped out into the overcast docks he currently called home. 

He walked the three or four blocks to the nearest grocery store where he sent a courteous nod toward the cashier on his way in. Joan had been a family friend of Helen’s and, while not welcoming her friend’s mysterious lover with open arms, had extended more than one hand after her death. She was one of the few people Vergil trusted with Nero on days he couldn’t safely keep the babe with him and had been one of the few supporters still around after news of his conception spread. 

Most of Fortuna’s citizens had scorned Helen for a pregnancy out of wedlock. It was a mixture of that and local custody laws that drove the couple to marry. Both had wanted an equal part in Nero’s life and for that life to be as easy as possible. Being born out of wedlock would have ruined his chances at getting into the best schools and wrecked Helen’s ability to keep a stable income. The fact that the community would care little about Vergil in the entire situation had not escaped his notice. The sheer injustice of it all had infuriated him. He’d all but insisted on marriage for her sake days after she’d told him she was pregnant. 

“I won’t let them treat you like a vagrant for raising our child,” he had said. She’d sighed and agreed but jokingly insisted on an alternative ceremony, which he had provided with gusto and deadpan exactness. Part of him still cringed when he saw photos of the cheesy decor. 

Thoughts of the past left behind and Joan properly greeted, Vergil made his way through the produce section. He’d found the price of regular formula downright insulting as a parent and was silently thankful that Nero had taken an interest in other forms of baby food. Even that was freakishly priced, however, and Vergil had resorted to using a food processor to keep the boy fed. 

Doing so had the added bonus of providing Vergil with ample ingredients for whatever meal he scraped together on any given night. Rice and veggies were easy enough to saute and allowed the single father to aggressively budget. 

He was deciding between two types of grapes when he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a red leather coat sweeping through the neighboring aisle. He let out a low sigh and spoke just loud enough for the stalker to hear, “What do you want, Dante?”

The footsteps drew close to him when his idiot twin replied, “Hey bro, didn’t see you over there.” Vergil let out a taciturn grunt in response as he glared the other man down. Sensing his waning patience, Dante threw up his hands and said, “Hey Verge, I haven’t seen you since we were eight. When I catch up to you you’ve got a kid and weird shopping habits. I have a right to be concerned.”

“Fresh produce is not a strange habit. As I recall, all you ever wanted to eat was pizza.”

“Yeah, well it’s healthy. Covers all the food groups.”

“It most certainly does not. The amount of sodium involved is coronary suicide.”

“Hey, I just call ‘em like I see ‘em bro.”

Vergil was about to throw a bit of snark right back when Nero began to fuss. He cursed under his breath as he gathered up the last of his groceries and began walking towards Joan’s register. “If you want to talk, fine. Just not here. He’s late for his nap and I have other business to attend to.”

Dante failed to hide a snicker as he followed his brother to the checkout and said, “Sounds cool bro, but if we’re sitting down for dinner I’m ordering takeout.” The only response he got was an exasperated sigh and a shake of Vergil’s head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Again, if you did, please feel free to leave a tip on my ko-fi.
> 
> http://ko-fi.com/raphandrex


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short one, sorry. Starting to get back to a normal routine at home so updates should be a little more frequent.

Three hours and twenty bucks worth of fake Chinese food later, Vergil sat glaring at his twin from across his kitchen table. Neither of the brothers had relaxed as they entered his home, the younger sensing the other’s discomfort with his proximity. 

Nero had been laid down for a nap and was unlikely to wake for another hour or so when Dante blurted out his first question, “So… where’s the kid’s mom?”

Vergil sucked in an angry breath as his fist tightened on Yamato’s pommel, “She’s gone.”

“Just up an’ left huh?” Dante quipped, not realizing his earlier mistake.

“No. She… she passed away about a month ago,” Vergil said, holding back the grief that tried to rip its way out of his throat.

“Shit! Sorry, Verge.”

The older twin merely grunted in reply as he rotated his wedding ring beneath his thumb. He waited for Dante’s next question. Hoping it was somewhat less painful. As usual he was disappointed. “So, did she pick the name? It’s Nero right? Heard the cashier mention it earlier.”

Vergil winced slightly at his brother’s inability to drop the tender subject, but sighed and let out an answer, knowing that Dante would keep badgering him until he had it. “Yes. She did. She was interested in history.” 

“Uh huh.” Dante said, lapsing back into awkward silence. The younger brother was full of questions but could never quite be comfortable around his twin. They hadn’t seen each other since before the fire and the news of Vergil’s survival had shocked Dante into a week long dissociative coma. When he came to, he was halfway to Fortuna, holding a ferry ticket to cross the channel between the island and mainland. Within hours of that he was walking up to Vergil’s apartment and finding out about a nephew he hadn’t even considered the possibility of. 

Said bundle of joy took that moment to gurgle in his sleep and shift his tiny legs. Dante wasn’t sure what to think. Part of him had expected the worst from his brother, but the current dadsona Vergil was giving off was actually fairly responsible and caring. Not to mention that he looked semi-ridiculous with a papoose.  

“So how’d you end up here?” Dante asked as he leaned his chair back on its back legs. 

“You mean after the fire?” Vergil asked in reply.

“Yeah… after… after that.” Dante had to bring himself back from dark thoughts at the mention of that day, he’d never truly recovered from it. “She tried to find you, ya know? For what it’s worth.”

The older twin blinked back tears with the revelation. “I… thank you Dante.” The brothers sat there in silence for the next hour or so before Vergil spoke again. “Would you like to hold him?”

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea floating around for a while and its a nice break from a ton of stress I have due to grad school. Let me know what you think and if you enjoy the work!


End file.
